Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal! The secret of Astral
by TheOtherWhiteNerd
Summary: It all began in the Astral World. This realm exists although no one understands how it came to be. Further more, where did this being, Astral, come from and how did Yuusuke wind up in this realm? Further more, why did he? Sorry if the summary sucks; I couldn't come up with a good one. However, the story is better than it sounds! Please, take a look. You will not be disappointed!
1. Chapter 1

A Rival Appears!

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal. All rights go to 4kids Entertainment and all other respective owners. I am making nothing off of this. Thank You.

* * *

"Where am I"? A boy said as he awoke from his unconscious state. This boy was of average height for a sixteen year old standing at about five feet and nine inches. He wore a black jacket with a white T-shirt underneath, black pants with black sneakers and a pair of white socks. His hair was jet black with white highlights and white tips that descended down his back until it reached his waist. Around his wrist he wore a silver duel disk with black highlights and he wore a matching D-gazer around his eye. His eyes were cobalt blue in color.

"Stand up, chosen warrior…" The boy leaped up now fully awake. He looked around for the source of the sound and took in his surroundings. He was inside some kind of realm that consisted of a very visible blue energy and seemingly had no end or ground. Next to him stood some kind of Alien that seemed to be made of the same kind of energy as the world he was trapped in. The Alien's body was a clear blue with green markings and many different gems all over his body. His blue hair curled and he had slightly pointed ears, which were pierced with dangling earrings. Aside from his body being translucent, the Alien's most striking feature was his eyes. They were heterochromic with one being gold and the other being just slightly duller of a white than his pupils. The alien also looked as though he had just come to from some kind of sleep or general unconsciousness.

The next thing that the boy noticed was a door. This Door emitted energy from its base that was more physical and material than the rest of the world. This door also seemed to emit a darkness that was more mysterious than evil. "Come," the Door simply said. The Alien and Yuusuke looked at each other and slowly floated towards the Door. When the duo reached the Door, it began to speak. "Whoever opens this door will receive a great power, but know that with such power comes great risk…"

The Alien looked at Yuusuke who stared at the Door. Yuusuke began to speak. "What power and what risk?"

The Door ignored the question and merely began to speak again. "Astral, you have a mission."

At this, the Alien, Astral, was stunned. "How do you know who I am? Do you know anything more about me?"

The Door did not reply and Yuusuke realized that Astral had Amnesia. "How unfortunate for him…" He tried to think of his memories only to realize he had none except the fact that his name was Yuusuke and he was a powerful duelist.

Astral was annoyed. "Just what is my mission?!" he shouted, but to not avail. The Door would not answer. Instead it caused the necklace around Yuusuke's neck to glow.

Yuusuke picked the necklace up and looked at it. When he did, the door simply said, "Open me." Then a little area on the Door began to glow. It was a lock and it looked as though Yuusuke's necklace was the key. "Open me with the Emperor's key…"

Yuusuke looked at Astral. For some reason, he felt tied to this… person of sorts. Yes, he was to help Astral with his mission, but… there felt like there should be something else…

Ignoring these feelings, he asked Astral what to do, and Astral replied with, "Go ahead." Taking Astral's advice, he slowly and cautiously approached the door. As he undid the lock, the chains around the door suddenly broke. He and Astral were both effectively thrown out into this new realm where this new power awaited them.

* * *

An intense duel was going on in Heartland Park. On one side was Shark, a very talented boy with Pro-level dueling skills. He controlled an Xyz Monster card identified as "Number 17: Leviathan Dragon", (WATER/Rank 3/Dragon/Xyz/3000 ATK) [0 Xyz Materials] and a face-up Booming Urchin. Leviathan Dragon was a blue dragon with multiple horns and three pairs of wings that adorned his back. Shark held a victorious smile on his face, almost like he knew no matter what was thrown his way, he would win.

On the other side of the field was a boy very well known for being a terrible duelist, Yuma Tsukumo. He was the laughing stock of his entire school, and failed at almost everything he attempted to accomplish. Oddly enough though, nothing could make him doubt his skills… Or lack thereof. He was always confident in everything he did, even though he hardly ever accomplished whatever it was that he set out to do. Dueling was no exception.

On his side of the field, Yuma held a Monster card identified as "Gagaga Cowboy". (EARTH/Rank 4/Warrior/Xyz/2400 DEF) [0 Xyz Materials] Gagaga Cowboy was a typical western slinging Gunman who wore some cowboy boats covered by his black jeans, a nice vest covering his dingy white undershirt, a cloak that covered the lower portion of his face, and a typical cowboy hat. His weapons of choice were a pair of gauntlets around his arms and a golden gun in each in hand.

Yuma was nervous. He entered this duel to retrieve the decks of his friend, Bronk, and the decks of all the other duelists Shark had beaten in battle. However, he was losing and with his hand and field, he had already lost. He hung his head and ended his turn as Shark began to chuckle.

Shark smiled, victorious. "During the Standby Phase, the effect of 'Booming Urchin' activates dealing 1000 points of damage to you," he simply says. The holographic urchin explodes, knocking Yuma off of his feet as he screams in shock. (Yuma LP: 500-0) (Shark: WIN!) Yuma had lost again.

Yuma's friends ran to him and asked him how he was feeling. Before Yuma could answer though, he and his friends heard Shark chuckling while he slowly and casually approached. He broke through the small crowd and because his Number had rendered Yuma temporarily incapacitated, he took Yuma's deck.

"Pathetic cards," Shark chuckled. He took the deck and carelessly dumped the contents into his backpack. When he turned around, he met the faces of the crowd. Shark just returned their looks of fear with a look of his own that spoke of superiority and a hunger for power that had yet to be filled. Then he began to walk away and gaze upon his glorious Number. However, Leviathan Dragon sensed the presence of another Number nearby. Shark turned around and looked for the source of the power. Leviathan Dragon urged Shark to turn away from the crowd where he thought the source of the power was coming from and instead turn towards a nearby alleyway. In the alleyway stood Yuusuke followed by Astral.

Yuusuke stood there appalled, and these sentiments were also shared by Astral. How could anyone have such disrespect for another's deck?! Nothing served to anger Yuusuke more than obvious disrespect for another… NOTHING! And taking and treating another's deck so carelessly, was one of the worse forms of disrespect in Yuusuke's mind.

"You… How could you?! How DARE you?! How could a well-respecting human being stoop so low as to take another's deck?! You villain!" Yuusuke had long since passed anger; he was livid now.

However, Astral did not quite understand the sudden change in his partner. "Observation Number 1.a: When a human does something that another human does not agree with, that can serve to make them 'angry'. Observation 1.b: Anger appears to be a negative emotion."

Yuusuke continued his rant. "I'll duel you!"

At this Shark laughed. Yuusuke's normally bright blue eyes, were now very dark and his anger was manifesting itself in the form of a headache. Once Shark's laughter had begun to subside, he looked at Yuusuke… and started to laugh again. In between fits of laughter, he asked, "Why… Why, would I duel you?"

At this, Yuusuke grinned. "Because I have this," he replied as he held up another Number Monster. Shark stopped laughing and was overwhelmed by the greed of his Leviathan Dragon. "Will they all be this easy to obtain?" he silently thought to himself. Leviathan Dragon seemed to reply with "Yes…" Shark began to activate his duel disk, and began with, "Then let us duel!"

Yuusuke went to do the same, but his duel disk refused to activate. When he examined his disk, he was startled to realize that he had no deck."So the door gave me this card, but no deck to go with it? Not like it truly matters… The only thing this card has is part of a name… No picture, no stats, no effect… Nothing."

"Unfortunately, I have no deck… So I will duel you tomorrow when I get one. Tell me when and where and I will beat you."

Shark was stunned. How did he not realize he lacked a deck?! And how did he get a "Number" without one? "Fine," he replied. "At the bridge in the center of Heartland Park over the stream at noon is when and where. If you're even a moment late, then I will throw all the cards that I have taken into the river." With that, Shark walked off.

"Yuusuke?" Astral timidly asked. "Where are we going to get a deck so soon?" Yuusuke began to walk off to the location of the nearest card shop.

"Just follow me, Astral… Just follow me."

* * *

Yeah, the end of chapter 1! One down, quite a few to go…

SO this is the first chapter of my re-posting and there is much different. I changed this because I find out some very interesting news… DARK MIST IS GOING TO GET HIS OWN CHAOS EVOLUTION! Now because of this and my style of writing, I cannot bring myself to use Number 96. I have a thing against using fake cards or making up my own. The only exception to this being cards I can pretty much guarantee that will never be officially release. Like the Cyber HEROs and Barian's Monsters/series.

Either way, chapters two and beyond are on their way, so do not fear! I will be better with updating this and my other stories.

Also, if you see that I've made a mistake here, or in any future chapter, DO NOT REVIEW TO INFORM ME OF MY MISTAKE! SEND ME A PM! THE SAME APPLIES FOR ALL MY STORIES.

And if you would like to see any two characters battle it out against each other, send me a PM saying such. I make no promises that I will do it, but odds are that I will. If you do, I only ask that you be patient.

Now, before I go. I have a quick thing to ask of everyone. If you would be so kind as to tell me what deck you would like to see Yuusuke use and what Number to be his main, than please leave a review. I will take requests until one week from the day this is posted.

If you would like to leave a custom Number than please follow the format for the featured card section below.

Anyways, this is TheOtherWhiteNerd is signing off.

Favorite, review, and follow.

Sayanora.

* * *

Featured card: Number 17: Leviathan Dragon

Attribute: WATER

Rank: 3

Type: Dragon/Xyz/Effect

ATK/DEF: 2000/0

Card Lore

2 Level 3 Monsters

This card cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, you can detach one Xyz Material from this card to increase this card's ATK by 500. This card cannot attack directly while it has no Xyz Materials.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

-Gagagarush

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal. All rights go to 4kids Entertainment and all other respective owners. I am making nothing off of this. Thank you.

* * *

Yuusuke walked to the nearest Card Game store and Astral floated right behind him. "Yuusuke, where are we?" Yuusuke wanted to answer as they passed through the crowded streets, but he honestly had no idea. So he said nothing and continued. He remembered nothing, but… he KNEW… He somehow KNEW where this card shop was despite having no memories. So did that mean he lived here?

"Well, it is likely," Astral replied surprising Yuusuke and causing him to freeze. Yuusuke looked for the nearest alleyway and hopped inside hoping to not be seen. When he was inside the alleyway and sure nobody saw him, he loudly whispered to Astral "You can hear my thoughts?! How does that work?!"

Astral did not know himself. "I can. I am also sure that nobody can see me. Had someone seen me they would have wondered what was I and why I would be following you. However, no one noticed me. Either that, or this is a very common occurrence here."

"Somehow I doubt that," Yuusuke replied. "So we can speak telepathically, huh? Well that should come in handy."

"Indeed," concurred Astral. After that, the duo turned to leave only for Yuusuke be met by one of the chefs that worked inside the restaurant next to the alleyway. The chef was wearing the classic chef outfit and seemed of Asian descent… Ironic considering that he was currently employed at an Italian restaurant. This man was confused and slightly worried.

Realizing that this man had heard Yuusuke talking to Astral but was unable to see Astral, the man assumed that Yuusuke had been talking to himself. Yuusuke's eyes went wide and he deeply bowed, saying "Gomen! (Sorry!)" before quickly running off. The man just stared for dumbfounded for another few moments, before he shrugged his shoulders and went back inside mumbling to himself that they are some strange people in this world and town.

Yuusuke ran as fast as he could to the nearest card shop, before entering out of breath. This store was neat and tidy. As soon as he entered, he noticed that to his left were the displays filled with many cards, sets and premade decks. Towards the back of the store, Yuusuke noticed a small hangout area seemingly made for people to test out their new cards and/or decks. If it was not, then that was what it was being used for. Behind the checkout counter was a girl with very light pink, straight hair who seemed entirely uninterested in the business as she was reading a book and stroking a small cat. This girl was wearing a Card Capital apron uniform over a standard Heartland High School uniform. The little black cat had white paws and white fur around his nose, and seemed to be watching the television which was set to the channel, "All About Card Games" or AACG for short. Instead of Duel Monsters, a new card game was being shown and this store, a branch of the famous Card Capital line of stores, had received a fresh set of these new cards to attempt and get Heartland in on the "Cardfight! Vanguard" craze that had been taking the world by storm.

As soon as he entered, the people in the store turned around to see who would be in such a rush to arrive at the store. Feeling embarrassed about the stares he received, he went to the front of the counter and quietly asked about what structure decks were for sale. However, instead of turning from her book, the girl behind the counter simply gestured towards the back wall. Yuusuke turned around to see the wall was covered from top to bottom with new sets of cards, the majority of which were Duel Monster packs, decks, and what not. However, Yuusuke did spy a few other card games like Cardfight! Vanguard, and the classic modern card game, Magic: The Gathering. "What do they mean by 'The Gathering'," he silently wondered to himself. As he was looking around, he realized that he had no idea on where to start. "What if we make a deck around our 'Number'?" Astral inquired.

Yuusuke had to admit, this was a good idea. It was the only card they had so it would only be natural to make a deck around it. As he pulled his only card out of his Extra Deck slot, Astral hovered slightly closer to get a better look at the card. However, there was still nothing there. For whatever reason, this card was a blank. It was totally and utterly unreadable for there was nothing there to read.

Astral hovered around Yuusuke until he was in front of him and asked what kind of deck they would make, but Yuusuke currently didn't have much of an idea. Mainly to do with fact that this card pretty much did not exist. However, this begged the question why? Why would he receive a card where the only thing he knew about it was part of its name and the fact it could only be destroyed by another 'Number'?

Yuusuke thought about this as a man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties walked up to him. He was wearing a Card Capital apron uniform and wore big bottle-rim glasses. He had blue hair that curled and waved at the same time to give it a rather unique appearance and wore a very friendly smile on his face. "Hello there and welcome to Card Capital's Heartland location! Can I interest you in the new 'Cardfight! Vanguard' card game? Or is there something else you need?"

Yuusuke was slightly startled by this friendliness which was entirely different from that of the girl who was sitting behind the counter. "Oh, uh… Yeah, I could use some help, I guess… Anyways, do you have any Duel Monster Structure decks?"

Tristan led Yuusuke to the checkout counter and showed him all the cards behind there. "We have a few more cards in the back. If you will give me one more second, then I can get them for you."

"Arigato," Yuusuke replied as he nodded. As he looked over all of the cards and mentally conversed with Astral about what cards they should get, a girl walked in who appeared to be about 15 in age. This girl had brown hair that had gentle flowing curls, brown skin, chocolate brown eyes, and was shorter than Yuusuke by about four inches. She was wearing a white shirt and blue, slightly faded jeans. She walked inside wearing many pearl accessories like a pearl necklace and matching earrings. Her name was Trish.

Trish was a regular to Card Capital, although she hardly ever dueled. She knew how to, but she never had much of a desire to. People would often sit and wonder how someone could not enjoy dueling and try to convince her, but it was just never her thing. However, she did love meeting new people and would go out of her way to do so. Being a frequent at this store, she knew all the regulars more than less and was rather friendly with the girl behind the counter, Ceanna. Spying Yuusuke standing next to Ceanna, she decided to introduce herself. "Kill two birds with one stone," she thought to herself. "I'll get to talk to Ceanna and talk to this new boy."

After she sauntered over to the counter, she introduced herself to Yuusuke. "Hey," Yuusuke replied.

"Is this your first time to Card Capital? I don't think I've seen you around here before…" She cocked her head to one side as Yuusuke kept silent. He wasn't quite sure how to respond, and he was beginning to realize he was actually somewhat shy. However, Trish did not even give him the time to begin to formulate a response. "No… I haven't seen you before and I'm pretty good with names and faces," she smiled. "So what's your name?"

"Yuusuke," he replied. "Yuusuke Ishibashi."

"Cool! So then, where are you from?"

Yuusuke waited to reply. He wanted to tell her, but more than anything he wanted to know himself. It's just he didn't, or rather couldn't, remember anything up until he woke up in the Astral World. "Uh… I have amnesia…" He found no reason to lie about his condition. And this girl seemed pretty nice. He doubted she had any ill intentions and he could easily take her down in a fight if such measures were needed.

So he told her the truth.

And for once in her life, Trish was speechless. It wasn't that she was annoyingly talkative; she was just outgoing and known to always know what to say… Even if sometimes it wasn't always the best thing to say. She always had something to say, and this was a part of her she embraced.

She had never dreamed of meeting someone in her life who had lost their memory. She had dreamed of a lot, many of these dreams being every girl's dream. Like finding her Prince Charming, owning a unicorn, being a trophy wife, and having someone who would buy her gifts for no reason at all. Of course, she also daydreamed about other things like owning a ranch, flying to the moon, and falling out of an airplane with a malfunctioning parachute that contained a rabid beaver instead of an actual chute.

Mind you that last one came from a kids' TV show, but still. The point was she had many dreams and dreamt of many things. However, this current scenario was not one of them.

Nor was it Ceanna's. Unlike her somewhat ditzy friend, Ceanna was often said to be more down to earth and more realistic. She kept her mind in the books and was the brains of the duo while Trish was the beauty. Now, that did not mean Ceanna was ugly, nor did it mean Trish was stupid. It only meant that Ceanna's more serious and realistic attitude along with her only slightly above average looks did not make her as beautiful as Trish.

At first, she had paid no mind to the boy who had run into the store out of breath, who appeared much like he had just finished running a marathon. However, she enjoyed medical stories, and hearing that someone so physically close to her had amnesia greatly intrigued her. So she used one of her delicate hands to brush her straight, brown hair behind her ears and began to intently listen to his story.

"What do you mean by you don't remember?" Trish inquired of Yuusuke.

"I mean I don't remember. I literally woke up in an alleyway with no memory of my 'former life'."

Trish was saddened. She was a very emotional person, and very empathetic towards others. She hated to see someone else in pain and desperately wanted to help anyone that she came across in such a situation. However, one thing bothered her. "If you've lost your memories, then why do you want to buy a deck? Don't you think there are more important things for you to do to help your sitiuation?"

Yuusuke had to agree that yes, it did seem unusually trivial to work on making his deck, but at the same time he sensed there was a bigger reason for him to make a deck than simply dueling Shark. Why was it that the only thing he remembered, aside from his name, was the fact he was a duelist? And what did this mysterious card have to do with anything? He was not sure what was going on, but dueling seemed to be a pretty good place to start.

"It would make more sense to investigate who I was, but I would rather try to help out other people then put myself ahead of them. What good is it going to do to turn my back on what I know about myself to be true, only to claim I need to 'discover myself'? I might not know who I am, but I do know what I stand for. And what I don't. Frankly, right now, my top priority is to get myself a deck."

At this point, Ceanna had put her book down and was listening intently. "Why?" she asked.

"There's someone I promised to duel. He's a bully as far as I can tell. He goes by the name 'Shark'." At this, Trish gasped and Ceanna's eyebrows rose in mild shock. After looking over these two girls' reactions, he continued with, "I take it you have."

"Of course we have! Shark is said to be the best duelist in Heartland! And he knows it! Why on EARTH would you want to duel him?" Trish ranted.

"He's a bully. I might not remember much about my life, but I do know that I've never met anyone else who has such little respect for someone else's deck." As he said this, he subconsciously clenched his fist as he remembered the actions of Shark and felt that familiar anger rise up in his body.

Trish was about to start ranting again, but Ceanna spoke up first. "Do you even know how to duel?"

At this Yuusuke smiled. "Yeah. For whatever reason, it's one of the only things I remember. Pretty much the only other thing I remember is my name."

Ceanna was dumbfounded. Why would someone's mind choose to remember something so trivial? Or was dueling really that important to him? But why would dueling be so important to him? Perhaps he would give her more "clues" in his story.

That was what she hoped, but no one said anything after that. They stood staring at each other for a while until Tristan came back out. "Here we go! These are all of our Structure Decks that we have currently in stock. Do you see any that suit your tastes?"

Yuusuke looked over them and at the dates they were first released. Many of these decks were very poorly built. Hardly any of these had any cards that had multiple copies of it in the main, and none of them seemed to support Xyz Summoning. This somewhat bothered Yuusuke. He knew that his Number card WAS an Xyz Monster. How was he supposed to bring it out and use it well in battle, if he could not support it? "Perhaps you should ask Tristan if any of these decks support Xyz Summoning. He might be able to better help us," Astral offered.

Yuusuke agreed. After he asked, Tristan informed that a few of the later ones were beginner friendly decks that were somewhat built for Xyz Summoning. However, when Yuusuke looked throughout the card lists of these decks, he found none of them to be helpful enough in terms of Xyz Summoning. "Hey Yuusuke, have you ever heard of the 'Gagaga' archetype?" Tristan inquired.

As soon as Tristan said 'Gagaga', Yuusuke cracked. Astral chuckled at seeing his partner laugh so hard. "Gagaga?! Tristan, are you telling me that there is an archetype actually named that?! You're not just pulling my leg, are you?!"

Tristan smiled. He was not sure why, but the people in Industrial Illusions had taken to creating what was referred to as the 'Syllable' archetypes lately. These were archetypes whose archetype name was a single syllable or sound repeated many times over, an example of which was 'Gagaga'. Yes they sounded dumb in name, but many of them were actually really good cards.

"No Yuusuke, I'm not," Tristan replied. "They are actually an archetype devoted to Xyz Summoning. They can Special Summon their members relatively fast and can manipulate levels to such a degree that you can call out virtually any Xyz Monster of Ranks 1-8." Yuusuke, who had stopped laughing as hard, was pulled by Tristan to the information desk. Tristan hit the button which opened the worldwide database for all Duel Monsters cards and virtually anything that had to do with DM. Bringing up the 'Gagaga' page, he moved aside to let Yuusuke see. Astral peeped over Yuusuke's shoulder so he too could see what all the fuss was about.

As Yuusuke was looking through, he rather quickly became astonished by how much this small archetype could actually do in terms of Xyz Summoning. When he reached the bottom of the page, he found a pseudo deck list filled with all the recommended cards to make this deck run smoothly and effectively. Whirling around to Tristan, he all but demanded that he get the proper cards for that. Tristan smiled and ordered all the necessary cards for Yuusuke. "These cards will arrive to your doorstep first thing in the morning. Where are you staying, Yuusuke?"

Yuusuke looked down at his feet now suddenly somewhat embarrassed. Not he, Ceanna, or Trish said anything. When Tristan finally realized something was wrong and was about to speak up, a newcomer to the midst showed up. "He'll be staying with me." All eyes turned to the source of this new voice. The source was a fifteen year-old, Indian boy who had what almost appeared to be an afro of spikes. This bed-head hairstyle was made even weirder by the fact that it also appeared to be entirely natural! There was no evidence suggesting it was gelled, hair-sprayed, stylized, or a wig of any sort.

The Indian boy, whose name was Baaki Azurojo, wore a white T-shirt with jeans and black shoes. He left his shirt untucked and had his sleeves rolled up. He was also wearing a pair of shades that had light blue, somewhat see-through lenses. On his left arm he carried a Duel disk that was white and light blue, and said to be somewhat inspired and reminiscent of the Obelisk Blue student's duel disks whom attended Duel Academy. Around here, he was a legend. Despite not being world famous, he was quite the duelist and had quite a following in Heartland. He was a very skilled duelist and knew every detail of his deck rather thoroughly. He had long since mastered it.

Yuusuke was surprised. He honestly wasn't expecting for someone to just come out of the blue and offer him a home in which to live since he had none. People really were generous and kind here. "You sure? I wouldn't wanna be a bother… I'll think of something if it would be any trouble."

However, Baaki shook his head. He was hearing none of it. "No, man. If you need a place to stay, then my door is always open. Now come on, no more arguing. I've decided and you can't change my mind that easily."

Yuusuke was grateful. This is not how he expected his first day to go. Then again, he didn't expect to lose his memory or wake up next to an Alien that only he could see and have this mysterious Number and then be transported to a world that he knew yet did not know and be charged to save it. He wondered how he ended up in Astral world and if this was even his world… "How stupid, right? Of course I came from this world. What other world could I come from? I'm not an Astral being."

"How true, you most certainly are not one of my kind. And you are human, for sure. However, I do believe that Baaki is offering an invitation; one you have yet to thank him for."

"Oh yeah," mentally responded to Astral. Turning to Baaki he said, "Arigato. It means a lot to me."

"No problem. Anyways, if everything is in order, I'm about to head out. You coming, Yu?"

Turning to Tristan, he went to pay for the cards, but then realized he had no money. After informing Tristan of his dilemma, Tristan smiled. "I'll tell you what. If you want to, you can work here to pay off your debt. Then, if you would like to after the payment has been taken care of, you can continue to work full time."

Ceanna interrupted. "But what about school, Yuusuke?"

"Oh yeah," Yuusuke replied."I hadn't thought about that." In truth, he was wondering if it would be worth it. He couldn't remember what grade he was in, although he would guess anywhere from grades ten to twelve. Perhaps it would best for him to finish school. Well,tomorrow was Saturday, so he would duel Shark and then worry about that later. ""I guess, it would be beneficial to finish school. The problem is I don't know where to attend or how far I've gone through school. Where do you guys attend."

Trish spoke up. "We all attend Heartland High School. If you want, Monday I can take you to the principal and we can see how soon you can start schooling. Until then, you can work for Tristan."

Tristan agreed and the vote was unanimously cast that this would be Yuusuke's best course of action. As he and Baaki were about to leave, Baaki invited the two girls. "We three go way back. We grew up together. We've been in the same grade ever since we were in grade one."

Trish agreed, but Ceanna initially declined, saying that she had to work. However, Tristan decided that she could have the day off provided she help show Yuusuke around. Despite her initial surprise, she agreed and the band of four set off to tour Heartland. The rest of the day was spent showing Yuusuke around town and having fun.

As night eventually fell, the four children retired to Baaki's house. The two girls stayed for a while, but soon had to leave. Yuusuke and Baaki, ever the gentlemen, walked them to Ceanna's apartment where Trish was staying for the night. While walking home through the dark Heartland streets the two got to talking. Baaki began. "So I heard you had amnesia."

"Yeah. The only thing I know is that I woke up in an alleyway with only DM card on me. By the way, ever heard of the 'Numbers'?"

"'Numbers'? What, are the a new archetype or something?" Baaki asked looking intrigued by this news.

"Yeah. I," Yuusuke was about to go on, but Astral interrupted him.

"Yuusuke, perhaps it would be best not to let people know the truth behind these cards. I think we should keep this between us for now." Yuusuke had to agree. If anyone heard about them and their story, they would either think he was crazy, know it to be true and who knows what people would want them for, or… Well, he could not think of something else, but if truth be told, he didn't want to.

"I heard about them and thought they sounded intriguing. Shark had one and so did the last kid he dueled. 'Yuma', or something like that?"

At the mention of Yuma, Baaki laughed. Yea, I've heard of him. He's in the grade below mine. Terrible duelist, but he never stops trying. Gotta admit, the kid's got spunk. If I failed that many times, I would have given up a long time ago. But anyways, back to you. I think thattomorrow or Sunday we should go to the police and see if any missing person reports have been filed for you. Maybe we'll find out who you really are and maybe you might remember something useful." Yuusuke had to admit, this was a good idea. He was fairly certain he was not from around here, but where else could he be from? He had to… right? It would also explain how he knew this place like he did. Or rather did not and yet did.

"Yeah, perhaps we should."

"Yeah," Baaki replied. "Anyways, I saw how you were looking at Trish," he joked.

Yuusuke blushed, flustered. "What?! I-I d-don't know what you mean! I wasn't looking at her weirdly… was I?" He grinned sheepishly.

Baaki chuckled. "Don't lie to me. You know that you were! She sure is beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yeah. They both are. Lucky you that you are friends with such beautiful girls."

By this point, they had reached Baaki's house. As he opened the door and they stepped inside, Baaki began to speak again. "Hey, consider all of us friends. Now a few things you should know about them is that Ceanna is slightly shy and quiet. You need to get to know her before she'll open up to you. Ceanna is the complete opposite. She's outgoing, and will talk to anyone. However, she's much more trusting and much more prone to hurt."

Yuusuke just stood there nodding until Baaki showed him to the guest room. "This is where you can stay."

"Thanks. So you're parents won't have a problem with this?"

Baaki shook his head. "No, they're not the kind of people who would turn someone out if they could help it. I actually don't think they're home right now. Probably on another house call."

"Oh, you're parents are working now?"

"Yeah, they're Doctors at Heartland Medical Center. However, they take house-calls and are in the process of making their own medical center."

Yuusuke wore a surprised expression on his face as he sat on his bed for-the-time-being. "Wow your parents are amazing."

"Yeah they are. I'll be right back. I'm just going to get a glass of water. Parched. You want one?"

Yuusuke nodded and Baaki left for a moment. The guest room was plain in color and the fact that there was absolutely no personalization. The walls were a clean bright grey. The carpet was a slightly darker and the roof was white tile. There was a single window in the wall with light blue blinds that could be parted to look out into the rest of their neighbourhood. In the corner was the bed that Yuusuke was currently sitting on. It was surprisingly comfy. In the opposite corner was a television on top of the dresser in the room. Next to the dresser was the closet that was currently empty. Finally, the furniture in the room was completed with the inclusion of a rather comfortable chair in the corner of the room. All in all, the room was small and plain, but still managed to make someone feel comfortable enough in it. Someone would feel right at home if they personalized it at all.

Baaki walked back into the room. "Here you go. One water for me and one for you."

"Thanks."

"Hey, don't mention it. So I heard you were going to duel Shark tomorrow. Why?"

For the third time that day, Yuusuke felt that sense of just anger rise up inside him. "He's a jerk. He doesn't respect anyone else, or their decks. Anyone weaker than himself is too weak. Someone needs to stop him."

"And you think you can? Shark is one of the best duelists around. Do you really think that you're on his skill level?"

Yuusuke chuckled. "Well, I won't know unless I duel him, right?"

Baaki had to agree. However, he dueled Shark a few times, and despite the fact that he had never beaten him, Shark had said that Baaki was one of the few duelists to even give him a challenge. It was why Baaki still had his deck. Shark said that he could keep his deck as long as he kept on providing a challenge. That was one of the reasons why Baaki kept on dueling and why he had become so good. "Tell you what, Yu. If you can beat me, then I will let duel Shark. If you lose to Shark, then I'll duel him."

"What? No!"

Baaki shook his head. "Shark and have an agreement. He won't take my deck."

"This isn't like the other times, Baaki. That Number… It's changed him. He's become even more ruthless!"

"What do you mean?"

Astral put his head in his hands. "Yuusuke, you've said too much." Yuusuke realized that Astral was right. They had agreed that they would tell no one the truth about the Numbers, and now there was no way to get out of it. He would have to tell Baaki.

"Yuusuke? What did you mean when you said 'It's changed him'?"

Yuusuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath before recounting just what had happened. At first, Baaki looked as though he was about to laugh, but as Yuusuke continued to tell the story, Baaki slowly began to believe him more. He was unsure as to why. Perhaps, it was the fact Yuusuke had shown he had amnesia, or perhaps it was the fact that there was so much detail he had put in that Baaki doubted anyone would make up such a tale. "Yuusuke, are you telling the truth?"

After hesitating for a moment, Yuusuke continued, "Yeah. You can't see him, but Astral is right here. He was said to have a mission, although we don't know what it is. The only thing we know is that the Numbers are somehow involved."

"So that means that you are the only one around who can deal with Shark because you're the only one with a Number."

"Yeah. For some reason, it's made Shark more aggressive, but it won't affect me."

"Could it be your connection to Astral?"

"Possibly. Anyways," Yuusuke yawned. "I'm going to hit the hay. I'm tired, and I want to be at my best when I duel Shark."

Baaki nodded then smiled. "Yeah man. Night." Then he left the room. As soon as he did, Astral turned to look at Yuusuke. He was not happy.

"I thought we agreed that we wouldn't tell anybody yet, Yuusuke!"

"Well, I'm sorry, Astral! It just slipped!"

"But if word gets out…" He went silent at this point. He honestly had not been planning for this. He had thought that he could trust Yuusuke. This was not the best start to their partnership Astral thought.

However, maybe this was for the best. If Baaki could keep a secret, that is. No doubt they would have to tell their friends sooner than later. They could cross that bridge when they came to it, but perhaps it would be easier now that they had someone on their side. Perhaps Baaki would help them explain their situation to Trish and Ceanna without Yuusuke coming off as an insane lunatic.

Hearing Astral's thoughts, Yuusuke mentally agreed. "Yeah, you see this is for the best. Look, let's just get some sleep and prepare for tomorrow. We have a big duel ahead of us tomorrow." At that point, Yuusuke rolled over to get some sleep. It had been an exhausting day and he was out within moments.

Astral watched his partner fall asleep for a few moments before attempting to mentally prepare himself for the fight that was going to start tomorrow. Being an Astral entity, he had no need to sleep and was content to watch over Yuusuke as well as run many different scenarios and thought about how the duel would turn out.

However, in the middle of thinking about the duel, he noticed that key around Yuusuke's neck. His curiosity piqued, he could not stop himself from reaching out and touching it. As soon as he did, there was a flash of light and he found himself transported into a new realm. This realm looked very much like the Astral world, but had a ground more similar to that of Earth's. However, the biggest thing is that in the center there was a large machine of some sort. It looked like it was composed of numerous gears almost randomly stuck together.

He floated towards it, wondering what it was. When he got so close he found what appeared to be an entrance to this… thing. As he entered, he found out that there certain panels that were pushed out and each one contained a Number on it, stylized in the same fashion as the "Number" cards. However, each of them looked as though they were depowered. However, one was not. The panel, 66, was surging with power, sparking and appearing as though it would light a fire at any moment. As soon as he got near to it, the card "Number 66" appeared between Astral and the panel, before the energy leeched from the panel and surrounded the card. The excess energy died down and the card glowed so brightly that the card was completely whited out by the bright light.

When the light eventually did die down, the card name had changed. It was now called "Number 66: Master Key Beetle", and had a picture and effect. The problem was that the effect and picture were horribly blurred and completely unreadable. "Well, now we don't have a blank card, but it's still virtually unusable in battle." He continued to look at the card in front of him until it took of further down the hall. Astral took off after, in fear that he would lose the card in the halls of this machine.

However, after it rounded a few corners, the card stopped and hovered in midair. He grabbed the card, so as not to lose it again. However, his adventure inside the key's pocket realm was not finished, for instantly a tractor beam appeared above him and lifted him into another part of the ship. What he saw surprised him.

"This isn't just some machine; it's some kind of ship! But a ship to where? Or for what?"

Yuusuke would be in for quite a surprise tomorrow morning.

* * *

And this concludes the second chapter of "The Secret of Astral". Just what is the deal with the Numbers? And what kind of a ship did Astral find?

Well, if you keep up with the anime, you'll know about the ship. I will give a fair warning that some Numbers have been changed and have had their effects slightly modified. Also, the Numbers will play a slightly different role in this story than in the anime.

Now I do apologize for the long wait. It should not happen again, for you see that I am now out of school and have finished much of the basics as for how the story will go. With more free time and the basic plot line largely done, I should be able to "crank these out" much more efficiently. However, I did hit somewhat of a mental writer's block, so please bear with me.

I would like to thank my loyal fans whom have put up with me for this long and my procrastination. :P

At any rate, I will see you guys (hopefully) soon with the next part of "The Secret of Astral"!

* * *

There are no featured cards for this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
-A Hero Emerges!

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal. All rights go to 4kids Entertainment and all other respective owners. I am making nothing off of this. Thank you.

* * *

The following morning, Yuusuke awoke in a cold sweat. He was breathing heavily, and he was shaking with fear. "That- That dream... That was no dream! That was a nightmare! About... About before... I lost my memory..."

"All I remember was that there was a big scary monster of sorts and a dragon that protected me... Just what was that about?" He looked through his memory of his dream to see if he could remember anything, but there was nothing. After a while he gave up searching; there was just nothing there.

But what was that monster? And what was that dragon? Was it just a dream, or was it a memory? And where was Astral? Yuusuke looked around, but Astral was not in the room. "Astral? Hey Astral! Where are you?"

The room was small, so there was no way that Astral could be hiding in the room. 'Maybe he started to explore the house?' Yuusuke got up and put on a fresh change of clothes. He walked out of the room and looked around the small apartment, but Astral was nowhere to be seen. He was not in the living room, either of the bathrooms, or Yuusuke's bedroom. The only place he had not checked was Baaki's room and that was because he did not want to wake up his new friend.

Deciding it would do no good to continue to look around, he decided to get a bath and then grab some breakfast.

While he was in the shower, Astral was still exploring the ship. "Astral! Where are you?"

"Yuusuke calls me. If he is awake, then I must get out of here to tell him about what has happened! But how do I do that?" As soon as he had said this, the Number 66 card released itself from his grip and floated above a terminal in the ship that looked mildly reminiscent of the jewel in the Emperor's key. Below this jewel was another key hole, very much like the one in the door that led Yuusuke and he out of the Astral World. "Well, that is certainly interesting." Touching the jewel, there was another flash of light and then he had re-entered Earth once more.

He looked around to find that he was in what Baaki had referred to as a 'bathroom'. Someone was in the shower, humming a light tune to their self. The bathroom was small. It had a door on one wall, and on the opposite wall was the tub that was surrounded by curtains. The walls were the same orange colour scheme and so were the counter and sink that ran halfway down the left wall upon your entrance. Between the sink and the tub was the porcelain throne and along the right wall where three towel racks. The walls were tiled halfway up with white tiles. The rest of the walls were painted white. The shower curtains and mat in the bathroom were both a matching blue to the curtains and sheets in Yuusuke's room.

After examining the small bathroom, Astral grew excited. "Yuusuke!"

The humming suddenly stopped and Yuusuke yelped. Then his head poked out from behind the curtain with his white bangs plastered against his head. "Astral! What gives?! Where were you, man?"

"I was in the key! The Emperor's Key has some kind of pocket dimension inside of it! You see, I..." Yuusuke cut him off.

"Okay, okay. Look, I can tell you're excited, but I need you to get out. I need my privacy!"

Astral was confused for a moment. "Privacy? What is that?"

"It's when you leave someone alone for a little while so they can do what needs to be done... alone, I guess. Look, there are some things I just can't have you watching me or anyone else do, or else we'll die! If someone is in the bathroom, then you stay out. Now please leave!"

Astral slowly turned around and hovered through the door. Yuusuke was surprised for a moment before he remembered that Astral was a being of Astral entity and that made him essentially ethereal. Through the door, he heard Astral speak up again. "'Observation Number 3: There is a thing called "privacy" and humans need it to live.' It must be something like their need for Water or Oxygen."

Yuusuke chuckled at this remark. "No Astral, I meant that we'll die _of embarrassment_. We won't actually die, but privacy is very important to us."

"Oh. Very well then. I shall wait for you to emerge from the 'bathroom'. Hurry, Yuusuke, for I have big news for you!"

Yuusuke smirked, although Astral could not see it. "Yeah. So I gathered."

Astral now waited outside the bathroom trying to get his story straight to tell Yuusuke. "Let's see. First I shall tell him about the pocket dimension inside the key, and then I shall..." he thought to himself haltingly. He looked around the house now for the first time. "I just realized this entire house is white and that same shade of blue... Perhaps it stems from the fact they are doctors. These colours show dirt and stains very easily. So when they are properly kept, these colours can be bright and give the appearance of cleanliness. Interesting..."

Astral turned to go examine the rest of the house. As he did, he noticed Baaki wake up and round the corner. He went straight to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Yu, you in there?"

"Yeah!" Yuusuke hollered back. "Morning, Baaki!"

Baaki yawned. "Yeah. Morning."

"Hey could you do me a favour? Can you see if my cards have arrived yet?"

Baaki nodded although Yuusuke couldn't see. "I'll go check and be back in a second." He walked away and Astral could hear the water turn off and then the shower curtains open. Yuusuke must have gotten out of the shower at this point.

Within a few moments, Baaki had returned and knocked on the bathroom door. "Hey, you done in there?"

"Yeah, just give me one second." In a few moments, Yuusuke opened the door all fresh and squeaky clean. He was wearing some of the clothes he had bought yesterday. He was wearing a plain black T-shirt, black jeans, and black sneakers. If anyone saw him they probably would have thought that he was an emo without the makeup on.

"So the cards are here then?" Yuusuke asked with a smile on his face.

"Yeah," Baaki replied. Gesturing to the table, he said, "I put them over there."

Yuusuke looked at the fairly elaborate and beautiful wood table. On top was a package all wrapped up in cardboard paper and tied up with strings. Yuusuke quickly undid the paper and string, tearing through all of it in one fell swoop. Then he found a spare card tin that looked like the ones he had seen in Card Capital. Upon opening the tin he found all the cards he had requested by Tristan. At the bottom of the tin was a note from Tristan.

_Dear Yuusuke,_

_These are all the cards that you requested for your deck. I hope they serve you well in whatever you are doing. This would be the part where I tell you the total of your deck, but frankly your new friends decided that they'd pay for it. Either way, thank you for shopping at Card Capital! I'll see you again sometime._

_Sincerely, Tristan_

_P.S. I figure you can start working this Tuesday coming. I'll just need you to tell me when you can start working; whether it be that morning or that afternoon._

On the backside of the note:

_Hey Yuusuke!_

_Trish, Ceanna, and Baaki here! Look, don't worry about buying your deck. We decided that we'd cover the cost for you! It's just a little present and what not. Now, kick Shark's can tomorrow! See you then!_

_Your friends,_

_Trish, Ceanna, and Baaki_

Yuusuke was touched. He had just entered this world in a literal and semi-figurative sense, and already had great friends, a place to stay, and a job. He did not have to worry about anything... Except for those Numbers.

Baaki walked up behind Yuusuke and placed a hand on his shoulder before smiling at him. "You're welcome, man."

Yuusuke smiled back. "Thanks. Hey I need to test this out before I duel Shark. Wanna grab some breakfast and then help me play test the deck?"

Yuusuke nodded. "Yeah. Just let me go get ready. Need to shower and what not."

"Okay, no problem. I'm gonna build as best I can."

Baaki nodded before he headed off to grab his clothes and hit the shower. As soon as he entered the bathroom, Astral mentally screamed at Yuusuke. "OW! What the heck, Astral?! What was that for?"

"Yuusuke I need to tell you about what happened last night!"

"Okay, geez... Just don't yell at me. And thanks for the headache," he sarcastically replied. "But what's this about last night? Did you see me having my nightmare?"

Astral's face was concerned. "You had a nightmare?"

"Yeah. Wait, that's not what you're talking about?"

Astral shook his head. "No. Not at all."

"Oh," was all Yuusuke said. He grabbed his deck case and sat down on Baaki's reclining couch. Astral then moved so that he appeared to be reclining on an invisible surface above the couch. At face-level with Yuusuke, he asked Yuusuke about what had happened in his nightmare. "Well, all I remember was that I was facing this big monster. Oh, and I was being protected by a dragon or something."

"That's all?"

"Yeah. I know this sounds weird, but it feels somehow tied to 'before'. I just don't know or can't think of how."

Astral concurred. "Anyways, let me tell you about my night," he said while he struggled to find that "sweet spot" in his invisible recliner. "It all began when I went to examine your necklace. Apparently there is some kind of Pocket Dimension inside there that is not unlike the Astral World." At this, Yuusuke's jaw dropped slightly, but Astral continued. "Furthermore, there is a large machine inside this realm that is somehow tied to the Numbers."

"How do you know this," Yuusuke interjected. His curiosity was certainly piqued by this point.

"I entered through the only visible entrance I could see on the machine. Inside this entrance were ninety-nine panels. Each one had a number on it; a number written in the same fashion as the Number on our card. These panels I assume are power sources, for when I came to the sixty-sixth panel, it was glowing. Actually, it was sparking with Astral Energy, rather. 66 appeared between me and this panel and _absorbed _the excess energy." Yuusuke's mouth opened slightly wider at this point. "This is what happened to it," Astral continued before he showed the card to Yuusuke.

Yuusuke looked over the card before coming to the same conclusions Astral had previously. "I can't see the picture or read the effect. The only thing we know is that it's called 'Master Key Beetle' and is an Insect."

At this, Astral nodded. "Those are the same conclusions I came to. Anyways, this card took off and led me on quite the chase further down this machine. When I finally reached it, I was pulled into another room, where I discovered much to my shock and awe that this machine was actually a ship of some sort. Yuusuke, I was pulled into its cockpit. The card then escaped my grasp when I heard you call me. I was looking for a way out and it led me to a gem that is not unlike the one in the Emperor's key. Underneath this gem was a slot much like the one the key unlocked in this monstrous door. When I touched that gem, I was released from that realm into this one."

Yuusuke was dumbstruck. "This is certainly a lot of information to take in, Astral. However, I do think we shall have to deal with that later. I have to eat and then we need to make our deck. Our duel with Shark is quickly dawning upon us."

Astral agreed. "You and Baaki eat, and I will look through all the cards to see what kind of deck we can make."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan."

And that's exactly what they did. Baaki and Yuusuke got dressed and ate while Astral looked through his and Yuusuke's cards. While analyzing the deck, he came up with numerous strategies and different combos he (or rather Yuusuke) could perform in a duel.

It was ten o'clock in the morning before Yuusuke and Baaki were ready. They spent the next hour-and-a-half practicing and play-testing Yuusuke's deck. They managed to squeeze in three quick duels and then one real duel. Yuusuke managed to burn through 20,000 of Baaki's Life Points in an hour-and-a-half while Baaki did not even get to go through half of them.

"Wow, Yuusuke! You're a natural! Shark will certainly be in for a challenge. And you have one of those 'Number' cards!"

Yuusuke nodded. Perhaps he would be able to win this. "Well, the only way that we can know for sure is for me to beat him."

"Yeah," Baaki said as he looked at his watch. "By the way, it's just about time for us to go. We're supposed to meet the girls and then meet Shark at the bridge in the middle of the Park. You ready?"

Yuusuke nodded. "Just let me go get my necklace, deck, and duel disk."

"Okay. Hurry up, man. Shark's keeping us on a very strict time limit."

Yuusuke quickly dashed to his room and grabbed the key. Then he returned, picked up his deck slot, his extra deck slot, and inserted them on the appropriate slots on his belt. Then he put his duel disk and D-Gazer into his backpack that he bought. Turning to Baaki, he said, "Let's get going."

Baaki nodded, locked the apartment, and they left the building.

The walk to the park was not too long, but just long enough to be relaxing. At least, it would have been on a normal day, but today Yuusuke had been getting motivated. He needed to be on his A-game if he was to beat Shark.

When they approached the park entrance, they saw the two girls. When Trish finally noticed, she instantly leaped up and ran to Baaki and Yuusuke, nearly tackling them both in a hug. Ceanna was not quite as excitable as her friend so she got up a moment later and calm walked over to her new friends. "Hey guys. Wassup? How was your first night at Baaki's house, Yuusuke?"

"It was great. Nice comfortable bed, good food, and I got my deck," Yuusuke excitedly exclaimed.

"Oh really? Does it suite you? Do you like it?"

"Yeah. Baaki and I duelled a few times today."

"He beat me every time," Baaki interjected. "We played like four rounds and I could not win. He's actually really talented."

The two girl's mouths fell open slightly. It took skill to beat Baaki, years of practice, and a knowledge of his one of a kind deck. This boy had amnesia, but he still managed to beat Baaki four-times-in-a-row!. "Well... That's good! You're going to need all of those skills to beat Shark."

"Yeah," Yuusuke agreed. "By the way, we kinda need to go find him. Lead the way, please."

"Such a gentleman," Trish smirked. "Let's go."

Within five minutes, they were at the centre of the park. Waiting for them at the bridge stood Shark. He smirked menacingly before sizing up Yuusuke and his friends. "So I see you made it. About time you did. Another minute or so and I would have thrown these cards in the pond. It's about the only place they're worth being."

Yuusuke's blood began to boil. "So there's that mouth that I loathe so much. What happened to your friends? Did they finally see the light and ditch you?"

Shark threw his head back and laughed at this. "Friends? Those losers?! They didn't leave; I chased them away! Weaklings like those don't deserve to hang out with me. However, I see you've brought your cheerleading squad."

"Yeah, I brought my friends. I see you brought a crowd. However, that doesn't matter to me. All that matters is that a punk like you needs to be taught a lesson."

"Oh, you think you can beat me? Did you remember your deck this time? Not that it truly matters; I'm just interested in seeing what cards you actually chose and how worthless they are."

"Enough talk, Shark. Now we duel." Yuusuke had grown tired of the banner as he calmly activated his duel disk. He wasn't flashy about it like so many people were; he simply flipped it open and placed his D-Gazer. However, it was those very actions that spoke volumes. His eyes shone with anger and his whole body stood at the ready. He was able to command awe from those around him with even the simplest of actions.

However, Shark had no desire to be calm. He wanted to put on a show and show how pathetic Yuusuke actually was. He slapped on his duel disk, threw his D-Gazer onto his eye with expert precision, and then yanked his starting hand out of his deck. While overly flashy, it was certain that Shark certainly knew how to put on a show.

"Let's duel!" The augmented-reality-vision-link was established and both duelists readied themselves for the upcoming battle.

Turn 1: Shark

Shark: HC - 5; LP – 4000  
Yuusuke: HC - 5; LP – 4000

"I draw," shark exclaimed. "I'll start things off by Normal Summoning 'Big Jaws' in ATK position! (WATER/Level 3/Fish/1800 ATK)" There was a brief flash in the water below the pond before a large Great White Shark leapt out of the water with its mouth and dorsal fin having been augmented and largely replaced with razor-sharp metal to make him even more threatening. "Then I'll end my turn with a single face-down. Your move!" A virtual face-down card appeared behind Shark's Shark as he passed the turn off to Yuusuke. Yuusuke drew his card and then began his turn.

Turn 2: Yuusuke

Shark: HC - 4; LP – 4000  
Yuusuke: HC - 5; LP – 4000

"I'll set one Monster and one face-down before passing the turn over to you, Shark." Yuusuke's move was short and simple, but Shark found it amusing.

"You call that a first turn? You had a prime time to attack and deal some major damage to me! And you're just gonna pass that up?! Here, let me show you what a turn really is!"

Turn 3: Shark

Shark: HC - 4; LP – 4000  
Yuusuke: HC - 4; LP – 4000

Shark drew his card and then put his plan into motion. "I'll begin by Normal Summoning 'Skull Kraken'! (DARK/Level 3/Aqua/600 ATK) When he's Normal Summoned, I destroy one face-down Magic or Trap card on the field! I'll destroy yours!" The bizarre looking Kraken turned over and poured dark fog out of its mouth which slowly made its way to Yuusuke's face-down, revealing it to be 'Mirror Force'.

Trish covered her mouth with her hand. "That was a Mirror Force?! Oh no! That could have really helped Yuusuke!"

Baaki put his hand on her shoulder and calmed her down. "Don't worry. I know Yuusuke, and he can easily turn this around."

Shark continued his turn. "Since I just Normal Summoned an Aqua-type Monster, the requirements for me to Special Summon 'Shark Stickers' has been fulfilled. (WATER/Level 3/Fish/200 ATK) I overlay Level 3 Shark Stickers and Skull Kraken to create the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Arise, 'Submersible Carrier Aero Shark'!" (WATER/Rank 3/Fish/Xyz/1900 ATK) [2 Overlay Materials] Skull Kraken transformed into a dark purple orb of energy while Shark Stickers transformed into a blue orb. These two orbs were then sucked into a large, red portal on the ground. Suddenly, bursting forth from said portal arose two sharks attached together by some kind of advanced yoke. After this card had roared at Yuusuke, two small orbs of blue energy appeared from the red portal and began to circle Shark's new Monster before the portal disappeared.

"And now for the first set of attacks in this duel! I'm sure you wish you had your Mirror Force now, Yuusuke! I'll kick things off by having my Big Jaws attack your face-down Monster!" The augmented Shark rushed forward before slicing through Yuusuke's face-down 'Mystic Tomato'. (DARK/Level 4/Plant/1100 DEF) The Tomato was sliced cleanly in half. One of the halves was smeared throughout the Shark's mechanical jaws, almost giving it the appearance as though it had just eaten and blood was smeared across its features.

"The effect of my Tomato activates, Shark. I'm sure you're familiar with the effects of an Elemental Searcher. I Special Summon one DARK Monster with no more than 1500 ATK from my deck in Attack Position. I'll Summon a second copy of my Tomato. (DARK/Level 4/Plant/1400 ATK)"

Shark chuckled. "Alright. So you saved yourself from some damage. That's fine. I now attack with my Submersible Carrier Aero Shark!" The twin Sharks rushed the new Tomato and suffered relatively the same treatment as the first, with the Tomato's "blood" being plastered over the front of this Monster as well. (Yuusuke: 4000-3500 LP) Yuusuke activated the effect of this Tomato as well, Special Summoning 'Gagaga Magician' this time. (DARK/Level 4/Spellcaster/1500 ATK)

"Ha!" Shark exclaimed. "You're using those pathetic Monsters also? Those are some of the cards that were in Yuma's weak deck! How do you plan to beat ME with cards like his?!"

Yuusuke said nothing, but simply glared daggers at Shark. Shark continued his turn. "At the end of the Battle Phase, Big Jaws is banished. However, this will only put me in an even better position! I'll now activate my Big Jaws effect! I detach an Xyz Material from him (Shark Stickers), and you take 100 points of damage for every one of my banished cards! Even if that's only one for now, that's still damage you can't stop! Go my Torpedo Takedown!" (Yuusuke: 3500-3400 LP)

The Submersible Carrier launched a single torpedo at Yuusuke, knocking him off of his feet and, onto the hard rock at the foot of the bridge.

"I'll end my turn, Yuusuke. How do you expect to make a come back with first-rate moves like that?!"

Turn 4: Yuusuke

Shark: HC - 3; LP – 4000  
Yuusuke: HC - 4; LP – 3400

"I draw." Yuusuke looked over his hand for a moment. He needed to defeat that Monster, but at the same time, he had to be careful just what he played. After taking a moment to think, he began his turn. "I Normal Summon 'Armageddon Knight' in Attack Position." (DARK/Level 4/Warrior/1400 ATK) A dark-skinned warrior arose from the portal in front of Yuusuke. His armour was thick and he carried a grim-looking sword. He covered his mouth with a torn, red scarf that flowed behind him menacingly. He also covered his eyes with a large pair of shades. His dark skin, his face covered, and his long, flowing hair gave him an air of mystery. "When I Normal Summon this card, I can send one DARK Monster from my deck to the graveyard. I'll send 'Gagaga Girl'."

Yuusuke knew what he had to do, however he was unsure how to do it. He was going to Xyz Summon Gagaga Cowboy, but in what position? "If I attack," he thought, "I can deal a lot of damage this turn and take the lead! But that face-down... He hasn't activated it yet. Could it be something to stop my attack?" Turning to look at Shark, he thought about what he knew of the boy and how Shark duelled. "He focuses on an offensive strategy that is capable of dealing damage even outside of battle. Not only that, but he also weakens my monsters or empowers his own. I'm betting that face-down will be something to turn the tide of the battle. If that's the case, then attacking would be useless. Which means that my best bet would be to play defensively."

"I overlay Level 4 Gagaga Magician and Armageddon Knight to create the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! The roughest and toughest gunslinger of them all, 'Gagaga Cowboy'!" (EARTH/Rank 4/Warrior/Xyz/2400 DEF) [2 Overlay Materials] The two Monsters both transformed into orbs of dark purple energy. This energy descended into another red portal, much like the same one that Aero Shark had come out from. This portal exploded with a flash of light before Gagaga Cowboy came out and took a defensive stance. He seemed to be wearing a more traditional, albeit somewhat stylized, cowboy outfit. He had the pants, the boots, the hat, and both the undershirt and overcoat. However, he also wore two gauntlets that had guns built into them. These gauntlets were a gold and black in colour and descended all the way down to his elbow. His look was completed with a sort of cape that he wore around the bottom of his face that covered his mouth and part of his nose. Once again, this warrior held an air of mystery as he stared down Shark's Submersible Carrier. As he stood there, ready to defend his master, two orbs of orange energy appeared out of the portal and began to circle the gunman.

"Next, I'll activate his ability. By detaching a single Xyz Material from this card (Gagaga Magician), I can inflict 800 damage to my opponent." One of the orange orbs absorbed into the cowboy's gauntlets. The cowboy then fired a mass of orange bursts of energy directly at Shark. (Shark: 4000-3200 LP)

"Then I'll end my turn with two face-downs."

Turn 5: Shark

Shark: HC - 3; LP – 3200  
Yuusuke: HC - 2; LP – 3400

Shark drew and looked at his hand. "Perfect," he thought to himself.

Turning to face Yuusuke, he began to chuckle. "I hope you're in for a world of hurt, Yuusuke! I'll begin by activating 'Double Summon'! Then I'll use its effects to Normal Summon 'Needle Sunfish' (WATER/Level 3/Fish/1500 ATK) and 'Friller Rabca' (WATER/Level 3/Fish/700 ATK). I overlay Level 3 Friller Rabca and Needle Sunfish to create the Overlay Network! Watch as all the powers of the Seven Seas converge here and create the strongest being in the ocean! Xyz Summon! Roar, 'Number 17: Leviathan Dragon'!" As he said this, the two Monsters were transformed into two orbs of blue energy. These two orbs were then sucked into a portal, but this portal was unlike the two previous Xyz portals that were created. This portal looked similar to that of a galaxy. This galactic portal exploded with energy which then unleashed a massive structure from inside its depths. This structure unfurled itself and took on the shape of Shark's ultimate dragon. (WATER/Rank 3/Dragon/Xyz/2000 ATK) [2 Overlay Materials] On Shark's right forearm emerged the number, 17, glowing a dark purple. As soon as this appeared on his arm, his irises turned a matching glowing purple and his attitude changed to a more malevolent one.

"Then I'll activate my Dragon's ability. By detaching one Xyz Material from him (Friller Rabca), he gains 500 ATK! (2000-2500 ATK) For the last trick of my Main Phase, I activate 'Aqua Jet'! This card allows me to award one unit an additional 1000 ATK until end of turn! And this boost will be given to my Aero Shark!" (1900-2900 ATK)

"And now for the main event! I'll have 17 attack your Cowboy! Go! Shock Stream Blast!" The dragon unleashed his powerful breath at the cowboy and completely obliterated him. After the dragon stopped his attack, the only thing left of the cowboy was his hat, which gently floated to Yuusuke's feet where it disappeared.

"Then my Aero Shark will attack you directly with Devouring Dive!" The twin sharks lunged at Yuusuke ready to finish him off. However, Yuusuke was ready.

"I activate my face-down, 'Defense Draw'! With this card, the damage I take from this card is reduced to 0 and I get to draw one card!" A barrier formed around Yuusuke right as the sharks rammed into him and then he drew the top card of his deck.

Shark frowned. "Fine. I'll end my turn there!" However, his frown did not stay. "Not that it truly matters; my Number is indestructible! Go ahead, Yuusuke, how do you think you'll be able to beat me now?!"

Turn 6: Yuusuke

Shark: HC - 0; LP – 3200  
Yuusuke: HC - 3; LP – 3400

"We'll see, Shark! I draw!"

Yuusuke looked at his hand. That Defense Draw certainly saved him last turn. But now that extra card he drew and with the rest of his hand were going to carry him to victory.

"Alright, Shark. Here I come! I hope you're ready to see my Number, and you're defeat!"

* * *

And here is chapter 3! Now that I am out of school, you all can see more consistent uploads from me! ...hopefully, anyways. :P

So, Yuusuke is finally duelling Shark, but Shark has out his Number and another powerful Xyz. Not to mention a field full of other ways to stop Yuusuke. However, Yuusuke also has plans for this duel. OF course, what else could be expected from two duelists as powerful as they?

Find out who will win next time in the thrilling conclusion of the duel; in chapter 4 of "The Secret of Astral"!

* * *

Featured Card

Number 17: Leviathan Dragon

Attribute: WATER

Rank: 3

Type: Dragon/Xyz/Effect

ATK/DEF: 2000/0

Card Lore

2 Level 3 Monsters

This card cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, you can detach one Xyz Material from this card to increase this card's ATK by 500. This card cannot attack directly while it has no Xyz Materials.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4-  
-Number 66: Master Key Beetle

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal. All rights go to 4kids Entertainment and all other respective owners. I am making nothing off of this. Thank you.

* * *

Turn 6: Yuusuke

Shark: HC - 0; LP – 3200

Yuusuke: HC - 4; LP – 3400

Talented. If there was one word to describe Shark, it would be "talented". Yuusuke was unsure as to how he would win. Shark had set himself up really well. Friller Rabca in the Grave, Needle Sunfish ready to be detached, Aero Shark about to deal damage, and that Number...

However, Yuusuke was no slouch either. He was ready... He just needed to play his cards right. Now about that Number...

"I begin by activating my 'Gagagarevenge' Magic Card. I revive one 'Gagaga' Monster in my Graveyard and equip this card to it. I choose 'Gagaga Girl'!" The counterpart to the legendary Dark Magician Girl appeared from the portal the Magic card produced before being engulfed in a dark purple aura. (DARK/Level 3/Spellcaster/1000 ATK)

"Then I Normal Summon another 'Gagaga Magician'." The master of the Girl and the counterpart to the Dark Magician appeared before raising his staff fiercely at Shark and his two Monsters. (DARK/Level 4/Spellcaster/1500 ATK) Inspired by her Master's bravery, Gagaga Girl did the same, the dark aura flaring slightly.

Astral was stunned. "Yuusuke, we have no idea what that Number does, or anything! Why are you going to Summon it?"

"We need it to win. I can see it, Astral... I can READ it... Can't you?"

Astral was confused. He was looking at the card, but it was still blurred. Just what did Yuusuke mean by he could see it?

"...Wait..." Astral thought to himself.

"Now I use my Girl's ability to make her the same Level as her Master. (Level: 3-4) Then, I overlay Level 4 Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Girl to create the Overlay Network! Forgotten memories can be unlocked, but only if one uses the key... Xyz Summon! Arise, 'Number 66: Master Key Beetle'!"

A portal much like the one Shark used to Xyz Summon his Number appeared after which the two Gagaga's turned into dark purple energy that was sucked into the portal. The portal exploded and the card flashed. After the explosion, a large object appeared from the portal that somewhat resembled a question mark. It unfurled itself until it became a large beetle whose exoskeleton was golden with red markings on it. On the center of each of its outer wings was a black circle. Its horn resembled a fancy and large key. After it unfurled, it let out a deafening roar while two orbs of purple energy appeared. These orbs circled the beetle. (DARK/Rank 4/Insect/Xyz/2500 ATK)

"Next I activate my face-down, 'Xyz Effect'! When I Xyz Summon, I can target one card on the field and destroy it! Say goodbye to your face-down!" From the Trap card shot a beam of red energy that vaporized Shark's face-down.

"Then the effect of my Gagaga Girl activates along with the secondary effect of my Gagagarevenge! With Gagaga Girl, I target one Monster you control and reduce its ATK to 0. While Aero Shark's ATK becomes nothing, my Master Key Beetle gains 300 more ATK! (1900-0 ATK; 2500-2800 ATK) And he'll use each every single point to completely destroy your Shark! Go! Key Blast!"

The beetle charged dark energy around its horn and then rushed towards Aero Shark. However, Shark was prepared. "I activate the effect of my Friller Rabca, in the Graveyard! By banishing it when either a fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua type Monster is declared as an attack target, I negate that attack and reduce that card's ATK by 500 until the end of my next turn!" The shark appeared and bit the beetle, stunning it long enough for the Beetle to call off its attack and retreat back to Yuusuke's side of the field. (2800-2300 ATK)

Yuusuke grunted. "Fine. I set one card and end my turn!"

Turn 7: Shark

Shark: HC - 0; LP – 3200

Yuusuke: HC - 1; LP – 3400

Shark grinned as he drew his card. This is it. "This is the Final Turn, Yuusuke."

Yuusuke was intrigued. Narrowing his eyes, he thought about this duel could turn out. Even if Shark activated all of his effects, he would not be able to defeat him without taking out Yuusuke's face-down. That face-down Xyz Reborn, and the Xyz Territory in his hand would become game changers. However, if Shark cleared his field and attacked directly with Aero Shark, he would still survive with 100 LP. Yes, it would be incredibly difficult for Yuusuke to make a successful comeback, but it would not be impossible by any means. Ultimately, that boiled down to what Shark had just drawn.

Astral was not as comfortable as Yuusuke. Shark had a Number, and being the pessimist he was, he knew that card would be a card to destroy a face-down, and because of that Yuusuke would lose! Maybe not this turn, but he would lose. Yuusuke was putting WAY too much faith in his face-down and it would not pay off. He hoped it would, but life was cruel, right?

Then again, Yuusuke was confident. And he seemed to know more about these Numbers than either he or Shark did. What made Yuusuke so at ease?

Shark continued. "I'll begin by activating the effects of both of my Xyz Monsters! Firstly, you take 200 damage because I have two banished Monsters!" Aero Shark launched two torpedoes at Yuusuke which exploded at his feet. (3400-3200 LP) "Then the effects of my Leviathan Dragon, and Needle Sunfish activate! Leviathan Dragon gains 500 ATK through his own effect, but can no longer attack directly. However, now your Number loses 500 more of its ATK! Making it almost half as strong as my Monster! How pathetic," Shark spat out as his Number chomped down on the last of his Xyz Materials and felt a surge of power. Simultaneously, needles from seemingly nowhere launched themselves and impaled Yuusuke's Number. (2500-3000 ATK; 2300-1800 ATK)

"Next, I tribute Aero Shark to Normal Summon 'Jawsman!" The twin Sharks opened up into a new portal out of which emerged a monstrosity of purple flesh with jaws oddly placed all over its body. It roared out of every single orifice it's body possessed and scared all in attendance, except for Yuusuke and his Number. (WATER/Level 6/Beast-Warrior/2600 ATK)

"Jawsman cannot be Special Summoned and can only be Tribute Summoned using WATER Monsters. However, he gains 300 ATK for every other face-up WATER Monster I control! I might only control one right now, but that makes it still too strong for you! (2600-2900 ATK) Leviathan Dragon will now attack and destroy your Number with Shock Stream Blast!" The dragon charged energy between his jaws before unleashing them at the beetle and instantly vaporizing it. (3200-2000 LP) The blast knocked Yuusuke off his feet. Normally in the AR vision, people would jump back in fright, but this was not the case this time around. The dragon's attack was real! This was evidenced by Yuusuke being thrown and the cuts which appeared on his body.

Trish covered her mouth in shock. "What's going on?!", she thought. "Where did those cuts come from?! Even if he fell back, that would not explain the cuts! Bruising, maybe; but not cuts!"

Ceanna was just as dumbfounded as were everyone else in the crowd, except for Baaki. He was surprised, but he had assumed there was more to the Numbers than just their effects and uniqueness. This revealed a whole new and very dangerous side to the Numbers.

Yuusuke somewhat struggled to stand up, but was instantly surprised when he saw Astral actually on the ground wheezing as though he too had been hurt. "Astral, you okay?"

Astral turned his head and tried to speak, but no words came out. So he closed his eyes, and shook his head.

This caused something to snap inside of Yuusuke. As Shark commanded his Jawsman to attack, Yuusuke stared at it dead on. In the last available moment, he shouted, "I activate my face-down, 'Xyz Reborn! I revive my Number and attach this card to him as an Xyz Material causing a reply to occur. Do you attack?"

Shark was getting aggravated now. "Of course. Take the 400 damage from this attack!" The Jawsman rushed, now changing its target to the beetle and striking it. However, the beetle simply bounced the Monster off of its hard shell although this did nothing to stop the shockwaves which hit Yuusuke. (2000-1600 LP)

Yuusuke smiled as he reflected on the situation. Just like he planned, he was able to bring his Number back and make it even stronger than before. It cost him a lot of LP and the lead, but he was ready.

Shark was also somewhat pleased, despite his initial discomfort about how that last move turned out. He HAD brought Yuusuke's LP down to only half of his own. He had this.

Turn 8: Yuusuke

Shark: HC - 0; LP – 3200

Yuusuke: HC - 1; LP – 1600

Yuusuke however, was unsure as to how this match would turn out. He drew and looked at his card. Smiling, he thought that this was perfect. "I activate my 'Xyz Territory' and 'Xyz Unit'." The Number 66 was covered by armor while the field changed color almost to a photo negative. Oddly, this did not affect either of the Monsters or cards on the field, or the people inside of it. "The effect of my Xyz Unit now adds an additional 200 ATK for each of his Ranks! (2500-3300 ATK) Furthermore, my Field will now grant any Xyz Monster an additional 200 ATK for each of their Ranks whenever they would attack! If you would destroy the field, I can detach an Xyz Material from one of my Monster's instead." Then Yuusuke grinned. "But I can do one better. I activate my Number's effect! I detach one Xyz Material from it and target 1 other card I control, like my field. Now that card cannot be destroyed! Oh, and if you somehow manage to attack with your Dragon next turn, seeing as how he will be destroyed this turn, I can just send the field to the Graveyard and prevent my Number from being destroyed. There is nothing you can do to stop me now, Shark!"

He watched as he commanded his Number to attack Shark's Dragon. Due to the field's effect, it was covered in an orange aura and powered up more. (3300-4100 ATK) The Beetle calmly flew in front of it before violently thrashing it around. The Dragon wailed as it was torn to pieces in this fight, and Shark cried out as he felt the pain. "I will pick away at you Shark until, there is nothing left of your Number! This is what you have done to others, Shark! Now, feel their pain!"

Shark fell on his knee and gripped his chest in pain. The Dragon was thrown to the ground and its blood slowly flowed out for a moment before it and the Dragon disappeared. (3400-2300) Shark got up, now thinking clearly for the first time. "Was that… Was that me? I did that to innocent kids?"

"Due to the effect of your Jawsman, it will now lose 300 ATK." Yuusuke then ended his turn. (2900-2600 ATK)

Turn 9: Shark

Shark: HC - 0; LP – 2300

Yuusuke: HC - 0; LP – 1600

Shark drew and briefly looked at his card. He then changed his Jawsman to DEF position, set his card, and ended his turn.

Turn 10: Yuusuke

Shark: HC - 0; LP – 2300

Yuusuke: HC - 0; LP – 1600

Yuusuke drew his card. "I activate 'Gagagadraw', unless you have something to say about it."

Shark didn't have anything to say about the activation, but he did chain his 'Mystical Space Typhoon' and destroyed Yuusuke's Xyz Unit. Yuusuke did not even flinch, but instead banished his two Gagaga Magicians and his Gagaga Girl in the Graveyard. Then he drew his two cards and smiled. "I Normal Summon 'Gagaga Ceaser' (EARTH/Level 3/Warrior/1800 ATK) and then Special summon 'Gagaga Child' through his own effect." (DARK/Level 2/Spellcaster/800 ATK) Then I activate the effect of my Ceaser. I banish the Mystic Tomato in my Graveyard and to make all of my 'Gagaga' Monsters Level 4. I overlay Level 4 Gagaga Ceaser and Gagaga Child to create the Overlay Netowrk! Once again, Xyz Summon! The roughest and toughest gunslinger of them all, 'Gagaga Cowboy'!" (EARTH/Rank 4/Warrior/Xyz/1500 ATK) The same cowboy warrior from before rose up and stared at the jawed monstrosity.

Yuusuke stared at Shark. He looked defeated. Was he finally free of the Numbers influence? Even so, that did not excuse the danger he put people in, or the lack of respect he had for people and their decks. Even still, he was ready to give Shark one more chance. At first, he had entered this duel to avenge those who were too weak to save themselves, but now he viewed himself as some sort of judge, ready to deliver the final sentence. Now however, he would allow Shark to choose his judgment. "I will give you the option of choosing what you lose to. One of my Monsters will attack and destroy your Monster, while the other will attack you directly and defeat you. I will give you the option of choosing which one attacks you directly. So decide."

Shark looked at Yuusuke for a moment. Was he actually serious? He did not deserve this decision. He deserved to be attacked directly with his Number and feel what he had others feel. So then why was Yuusuke holding off in his attack? What reason would Yuusuke have for giving him the choice?

It didn't matter. He was still going to take the hit. It's the only thing he deserved. "I choose your Number to attack me directly.

Yuusuke nodded. He was sorry, but he had asked for this. He commanded his cowboy to attack Shark's Jawsman, with the field giving his cowboy and additional 800 ATK. (1500-2300 ATK) the cowboy shot the shark creature until it exploded, and then the beetle launched an orb of light, its "Key Blast", directly at Shark. The blast hit him square in the chest, knocking him back and knocking him out.

Despite everything Yuusuke had said from before, he had not been looking to hurt Shark. Yes, Shark had been doing the same; yes, he asked for it; and yes, Yuusuke had been angry with Shark, but he had not wanted to hurt Shark like he had.

Everyone else around the arena was quiet as they wore shocked and concerned expressions on their faces. Ceanna, Trish, and Baaki were stunned. They had seen Shark ask for it, so they did not fault Yuusuke, but it was still unsettling to know the power these cards possessed. Everyone else however, faulted Yuusuke to an extent. On the one hand, he was a hero. He had freed them from Shark's "tyranny" and had earned them back their decks. He had singlehandedly freed them from Shark's "feeding frenzy" as he often called it.

Some however, grew angry with Yuusuke. He knew full well of the danger those Numbers posed, but still he attacked Shark with it! Among these was Yuma Tsukumo. He, in concern for Shark (whom he considered a friend), rushed to his side, all the while shouting, "Shark! Shark!"

Upon arriving at Shark's side, he fell to his knees and began to let a few tears seep out. "Shark, wake up, man. Come on, you'll be okay." Snapping his head around, he yelled into the crowd, "Someone call a doctor!"

Yuusuke walked up ready to help, but Yuma was not going to let that happen. "Get away, you monster!"

Yuusuke (along with Astral) were somewhat surprised by this outburst. "Yuusuke," Astral began. "He does realize that we've done nothing wrong. Shark was the one who asked to be attacked by the Number, right?"

Yuusuke was just as worried as Astral. "For whatever reason, he blames us. And I honestly can't blame him. Astral, we're going to have to be more careful when we use our Numbers. Speaking of which, we need to get that Number off of him. Can you get it somehow?"

Astral was confused at this. He cocked his head and looked at Yuusuke. "I'm not of this world. I'm not material. I'll phase through it."

"Just try, Astral. I can't and we need that Number." Reluctantly, Astral hovered over too Shark's unconscious body and looked through his Extra Deck. His hand passed through all the cards in there until it reached the Number. As soon as his hand collided with the Number, it disappeared. He turned to Yuusuke and watched as the card literally descended into Yuusuke's Extra Deck. He was stunned, but then shook it off. "These days have been full of surprises. However, how did Yuusuke make the Number readable? How was he first able to 'see it'?"

The paramedics arrived soon and Yuma watched as they took Shark's body away. He considered him a friend. To Yuma, someone had hurt one of his friends. These were the only thoughts running through his mind as he watched the ambulance speed down the street heading to Heartland Medical Center. He slowly felt anger build up inside of him until it boiled into rage. He whirled around to face Yuusuke. "You! You hurt one of my friends!"

Yuusuke was stunned. Did this boy honestly consider Shark a friend? Apparently so, and for whatever reason, he was livid. "He asked for it, Yuma."

"Bull! I'm calling you out! You're worse than Shark ever was, and I'm going to make you pay for putting Shark in the hospital. Mark my words, Yuusuke Ishibashi, you will pay." Yuusuke did not even get another chance to defend himself. Yuma stormed off with that girl, Tori, chasing after him.

He was tired and just needed to relax. He and his group took off after the majority of the crowd had left, some of them giving him glares as they did so. "Let's go, guys," he simply said. He left, and they followed, all deeply concerned by the events that had transpired that day.

* * *

"Yuma, what's gotten into you? You and Shark were hardly friends, but now you're threatening someone because he took down a bully? And how do you even know that he had anything to do with it? This is just like some of the glitches and bugs that came with ARV, Yuma." Tori was worried. Just what had happened to Yuma? This was not the boy she had grown up with. He was happy and never really this serious. Even on the VERY occasional times that he did become serious, he never swore to hurt someone.

"Tori, leave me alone! I don't wanna talk about it. You saw what he did to Shark! I can't let him go unpunished…"

Tori stepped in front of him and shook her head. "That's what I'm trying to tell you. This stuff happens. ARV is not entirely safe. Stuff like this happens."

"The Augmented Reality did not do this."

"Then what did?"

Yuma said nothing as he shoved her out of the way. He continued to walk, leaving behind him a stunned Tori. Yuma would NEVER shove her.

Just what was happening to her friend?

* * *

After the group had arrived at Baaki's house, Ceanna and Yuusuke made themselves comfortable while Baaki and Trish went to the kitchen to get snacks. "Hey Ceanna," Yuusuke asked. "Is there anything between those two?"

Ceanna started laughing causing Yuusuke to raise an eyebrow. "No, I doubt it. However, they have had many tell them that there SHOULD be. But Baaki just says that he isn't interested and moves on. Sorry, it's just that it's so funny to hear you come to such a conclusion after only a day of knowing them." She chuckled. "It's actually really funny to get on Baaki's nerves with such a thing."

Yuusuke smiled a mischievous smile. "Interesting…" he said mischievously as the other two came back into the room.

"Hey guys," Baaki began. "What are we going to do? I suggested that we go to the police station and see if there were any missing person reports that even resembled Yuusuke. This way, we can see if or where Yuusuke came from."

The vote was unanimous. They all agreed that if Yuusuke was missing, then it would be best for them to see where he comes from. "Your parents are probably worried sick, Yu," Trish said.

He had a feeling that they would find nothing, but he agreed.

* * *

Yuma was in his room wondering what he would do. How would he take his revenge on Yuusuke? Just what COULD he do? There was virtually nothing he could do on his own; Yuusuke had proven to be a better duelist and he would likely be unable to defeat Yuusuke in hand-to-hand combat. And the more he thought about, the more he convinced himself that he did not want to actually hurt Yuusuke. "But he needs to be taught a lesson. How can I teach him one?"

"Just give in to your anger, Yuma Tsukumo. Embrace the negativity, and let the Number take hold."

Yuma shot up like a rocket. "Who's there?" He looked around the room, but saw no one. Was he going crazy? There was no one; nothing around to have spoken to him. Just what was going on?

"Open your eyes. Let the Number take hold."

There it was again and he was sure that he had not imagined it. "Let the Number take hold? Like what Shark and Yuusuke had?" He looked around as he waited for an answer, but he never got one. He was confused. There was nothing there. His room looked normal; nothing out of the ordinary.

"It's right here." A card that was not on his dresser before began to glow. Curiosity got the better of him and he slowly but surely made his way to the dresser. He tentatively reached out to grab the card, but stopped when his hand was mere millimeters away from the card. "Why are you stopping, Yuma? The Number can grant you the power you seek."

After another moment's pause, he quickly reached out and grabbed the card. Instantly a flood of dark energy took hold. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. He slowly felt as though he was losing himself. "You are not losing yourself, but gaining a power unimaginable. Embrace the power of the Number, Yuma. Embrace it."

He fell onto his knees, panting. A crazed look had appeared in his eyes and he felt a surge of power come over him. A cruel smile crossed his face as he finally decided on a plan of action to solve his "problem".

He put on some clothes, sneaked out of his room as he had many times before, and took off down the street.

* * *

It was ten'o'clock that night and Yuusuke was tired. However, Astral was not ready to let Yuusuke sleep. "Yuusuke, aren't you forgetting something?"

"No? We did what we had set out to do today. We retrieved the Number, and stopped Shark what more was there to do?"

Astral placed his head in his hands. "But what about the memory of the Number, Yuusuke? Aren't we both forgetting something?" Astral said with a wry smile.

Yuusuke's eyes went wide. "Oh my goodness! You just made a joke! "

Astral face-palmed at this causing Yuusuke to chuckle. He would laugh, but Baaki was already asleep and he did not want to awaken his friend. "I'm just kidding, Astral. However, how can I enter the key like you did?"

Astral thought about this for a moment. Yuusuke certainly was not of Astral origin; appearance was enough to tell that. For one thing, he was a human wearing clothes. His night attire was a plain white Tee shirt, with comfortable pants. Astral needed no rest and was obviously not human. The most he could he do was muster a slight fog to cover where his "privates" would be. It was obvious that he had none as he was not human, but that was as close he could come to having any "modesty".

"Well, I had to enter the Emperor's Key, but perhaps you will not need to. However, I had to touch the jewel. Then I found the tile that had 66 and absorbed the memory…" They thought for a moment before Astral snapped his fingers. "I've got it! What if I go and see the memory and then you touch the card at the same time?"

Yuusuke thought about this for a moment. Maybe it would work. Oh well, the only way to know would be to try.

Yuusuke closed his eyes and concentrated. He focused on the key and almost subconsciously began to thumb the foreign object. He concentrated, but he really had no idea what to concentrate on. Just when he was about to give up though, he felt something stir. It was as though the space around him was distorting.

When he opened up his eyes, he was met with the world Astral had described. However, it was almost as though he was dreaming this. Yet at the same time, it did not feel quite like a dream. He felt wide awake, but this felt so… surreal.

The world was just as Astral had described it. There in front of him hovered Astral. "Follow me," he said simply before he took off.

Yuusuke chased after him and they soon came to the panel that housed the Number Seventeen. Much like the Sixty-sixth Number's panel had been, this one was sparking with energy. Yuusuke looked at this panel in confusion. "Astral, what's going on?"

"Yuusuke, you the Number 17 will absorb the energy which will then show us the memories locked within it."

"But I don't have the card on me, Astral… I don't think I do anyways." Yuusuke looked in his Extra Deck to see that there were only two cards in there; the Numbers for Master Key Beetle and Leviathan Dragon.

He quickly snatched up the Number for 17 and held it up to the panel with the matching Number on it. Just like with 66, the energy leeched out and surrounded the card. Then the memory fragment was shown to Yuusuke and Astral.

Their eyes went wide as they recalled the memory that was sealed away in that card. "We must obtain the memories in these Numbers to regain our lost memories. These cards will show us the mission if we can regain them…" they both said in unison.

* * *

After an hour of walking he had found his way to an abandoned amusement park. This park had become home to a local gang, a gang he had come to know that Shark had been a part of. The bouncer at the door eyed him over, before chuckling to himself. "What do you want, kid?"

As Yuma drew closer, the cruel smile of the bouncer began to fade. He looked at this boy and saw a cruel, sadistic, and psychotic look in his eyes. The closer Yuma drew, the more fearful the bouncer became. "Let me talk to the guy in charge. Let's just say I have a 'job offer' for him."

With one look, the bouncer took off into the building practically screaming. After a moment, he carefully peered around the corner and told Yuma that the gang leader was ready to see him. As Yuma entered, he looked to see the 'big, bad' bouncer had taken to hiding in the corner like a scared little cat.

He looked around to see many other thugs looking at him evilly or confused. Some were still staring at him like they would any other person. "…but the wiser ones sense I'm different." He chuckled. "How smart of them. They sense that I'm a force to fear now."

In the center of the crowd stood two people. One was dark skinned and wore jeans, boots and a tank top along with dreadlocks. The other had an army buzz cut, darker jeans and wore a somewhat more flamboyant shirt over a plain white undershirt. Both grinned evilly at Yuusuke and entirely lacked any fear of him. This lack of fear set them apart from the rest of their gang as every other member had some fear of Yuma. It was just more noticeable in others.

"What do you want?" the guy with dreadlocks asked. He appeared to be the leader as everyone else looked at him with a slight fear in their eyes, the fear of their boss and what he could do. The only one to not fear him was the other boy standing at his right hand both figuratively and metaphorically.

The boy at his right chuckled, before continuing. "Yeah, what would a little boy like you want? And at this hour of night? I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you! And they should be. Do you have any idea where you are; what you've gotten yourself into?"

Yuma chuckled. "My parents are missing and you would regret even mentioning that if I did not have an offer for you."

At this, the leader sat a little straighter and then leaned slightly in intrigued. Everyone else around stood stunned. The right hand man became more serious and almost instinctively said what was on the minds of everyone else in their group, 'The Pack'. "What offer would YOU have for us?"

Yuma didn't answer right away, but instead took out his Number. He chuckled, but still said nothing. The rest of the pack stood there stunned and scared. Murmurs tore through the crowd as they soon realized that was one of the same cards that had made their fearless leaders far more fearsome.

The two leaders were more surprised than anything. The greed of their Numbers took hold and they both quickly whipped them out of their Extra Deck slots and compared them. "Scorch," the right hand began, "He has one of those 'Number' cards!"

The leader, now identified as Scorch, chuckled. "Yeah, he does, Chills." Then turning back to Yuma he continued. "So how did you know to come find us? And what do you need?"

"My Number told me where you two were and I need two fearless and powerful duelists to help me exact my revenge. You see, there's this boy. He has two 'Numbers' now, and I figured that if you two beat him in a Numbers Duel, you could divide the spoils among you. Two more Numbers for you, and I have a problem eliminated. Sound like something you'd be interested in?"

The two looked at each other and chuckled. "And what's to stop us from also taking your Number?"

"Well, I know that you two would sooner go for the bigger profit. By that time, I will be much too strong for the two of you. If you two take it easy on him, then I will come back and show you what I will show him soon. I want him to suffer… Think you can manage that?"

"You talk big, but I think that we'll manage. After we beat the boy, however, you should be ready. We'll be coming after you next." At this the two of them burst out laughing.

Yuma simply smiled. "Then it's settled. His name is Yuusuke Ishibashi. Find him, defeat him, and then feel free to take his Numbers, deck, and whatever else you would like from him. If you can defeat him and me, then you will have earned another three Numbers for the two of you. Sound promising?"

Scorch and Chills nodded eagerly. They were very ready to get their hands on more Numbers.

Yuma continued. "Good. I want this done by the end of this week." With that he turned to leave, but stopped right in front of the exit. "Do not fail me." And with that, he left. The Pack stood there terrified as they watched the terrifying change that came over their leaders.

* * *

Well guys, this is the end of the fourth chapter. The next thing that I post will NOT be chapter 5 of this story. Instead, I have another story which I will post that is focused on Shark, called 'Shark Strikes'. The story will be very different from what you know and I will add many other Manga Numbers.

Furthermore, I have a challenge for all of you, or an opportunity to work with me on a crossover. My idea for the crossover is between Kingdom Hearts and ZeXal. The story should follow the general theme of Kingdom Hearts, as in Sora/Riku travel to the World of ZeXal (Heartland). Upon arrival they find the Heartless/Nobodies/Unversed/Dream Eaters are causing problems (possessing people, becoming new Monsters, etc.) and the hero must save the world by activating the Heartland's keyhole.

If you would like to talk to me about this, please pm me and then we can further discuss how to proceed. I will involve as many people as I feel comfortable with, although do not be surprised if I drop out as I am very busy with actually close to four fanfictions right now. I have many different fanfictions that need my attention and this crossover is not something that I intend to work on religiously. However, if you feel desire, you can (in fact, please do) make your own story. I will also be posting a story challenge soon about the certain requirements of said story.

At any rate, this TOWN aka, TheOtherWhiteNerd, signing off.

Sayonara.

* * *

Featured Card

Number 66: Master Key Beetle

Attribute: DARK

Rank: 4

Type: Insect/Xyz/Effect

ATK/DEF: 2500/800

Card Lore

2 Level 4 Monsters

This card cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and target one other card you control: while this card is face-up on the field, the targeted card cannot be destroyed by card effects. If this card would be destroyed, you can send 1 of those cards to the Graveyard instead.


End file.
